The Great Valentine Mixup
by Storynut
Summary: Guess who asked Ginny for the Valentine's Day ball? Harry, that's who. The one whom she has adored and hero-worshipped for years. But then why isn't she happy? Why does the thought of a certain platinum-haired Slytherin going with Cho Chang upset her so m
1. Default Chapter

~_CHAPTER 01_~

**__**

By Nitya

  
  
  
Ginny Weasley plopped down near the enchanted lake and hugging her knees, stared out at the horizon pensively. The Giant Squid, which knew Ginny's habits came towards her expectantly, waving one of its tentacles.   
  
"I'm sorry, octi. No tidbits for you today." Said Ginny still staring moodily at the lake.   
  
"Octi?" said a mocking voice.   
  
Ginny's heart skipped a beat. Without even turning she knew to whom that voice belonged.   
  
"I always knew you were a dumb kid, Weasley. But Octi? I'm sure even Crabbe could come up with a better name than that."   
  
Ginny badly wished that she could perfect that sarcastic drawl and come up with a sneering retort, but all her disoriented brain could comprehend was Draco in black and silver robes and the thought, 'Malfoy is drop-dead gorgeous!   
  
Luckily for her, (though she didn't think so) Ron came up at that moment. "Ginny! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!"   
  
His eyes fell on Malfoy. "What are you doing here?" he spat.   
  
"Just socializing." Drawled Draco and walked away, the moonlight catching his platinum blonde hair and making the silver dragon in his robe glitter.   
  
It took Ginny's breath away. If it weren't for Ron standing beside her she surely would have swooned.   
  
"What were you doing with him here, at this time of the night?" interrogated Ron sternly, giving an unconscious imitation of a stern father.   
  
Ginny was tempted to laugh, but seeing Ron's red face, controlled herself saying, "Nothing scandalous, I assure you. He was just insulting me as usual."   
  
Before Ron could demand wrathfully what insults Draco had heaped on her, Hermione arrived on the scene, to Ginny's relief.   
  
"Ron! It's nearly 9 P.M. Being a prefect you are supposed to set a better example to the other students, especially your sister. Instead of which you-"   
  
"Ok. Ok." Interposed Ron hastily. "I was just warning Ginny not to wander off alone in the school grounds during the night."   
  
"Humph." Hermione gave a grunt and walked off, with Ron and Ginny in tow.   
  
*****   
  
"CONGRATULATIONS!"   
  
Ginny entered the girl dormitory to sounds of loud cheering.   
  
For being asked by Harry to the Valentine's Day Ball, stupid." said Susan Wright, her best friend, putting her arms around her shoulders and leading her to her bed.   
  
Ginny sank down into it and looked around the dorm. It seemed as if there was a celebration going on. All around girls were dancing; there were balloons and even a huge Chocolate Cake.   
  
"Don't tell me that Harry asking me to the Ball is the cause for so much celebration." Said Ginny laughing.   
  
"Why not?" asked Celia, another of her close friends, doing a complicated dance step and falling to the floor in a twisted heap.   
  
"Because I won't believe it." Said Ginny helping her up.   
  
"Well, the celebration is actually because Julia lost a bet." said Cindy. "I made a bet with her as to who Draco would go with. She betted that he would go with Pansy."   
  
"As if anyone would want to go with that pug-faced idiot." Interposed Marianna scornfully.   
  
Ginny gestured impatiently for Cindy to continue.   
  
"Well I made a bet with Julia that Draco would not go with Pansy. I said that he would go with Cho."   
  
Ginny felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.  
  
_She wasn't going to throw up. She **wasn't** going to throw up._   
  
"And guess what, I won!" said Cindy triumphantly. "So Julia, as the loser had to throw us a fabulous party."   
  
"You mean Draco actually asked Cho to the ball?" asked Ginny incredulously.   
  
Cindy nodded. "Yes, can you believe it? Especially since everybody knows that Harry Potter has had a crush on-"   
  
She abruptly fell silent, receiving death glares from everyone, except Ginny, that is.   
  
"Come on Ginny, let's boogie!" said Susan brightly, covering the awkward moment.   
  
"No, thanks. I.. uh..I think I've got a headache. I'll just go to sleep."   
  
Deaf to all her friends' protests, Ginny lay on her bed with a blanket over her head, trying to sleep.   
  
But unwelcome thoughts kept circling her head. Draco had asked Cho to the ball. Cho, whom Harry had a crush on.   
  
She now knew exactly what had happened. Harry must've asked Cho and got repulsed. Instead Cho had accepted Draco.   
  
On rebound, as a last resort Harry must have asked her.  
  
But that didn't worry Ginny that much. After all, she had got over Harry long ago and no one had been more surprised and less pleased than she, when Harry asked her to the ball.  
  
How could she accept him when she had replaced him in her heart, with his archenemy, Draco Malfoy?   
  
She had, in fact, seriously considered refusing him, but the thought of remaining in the Common Room, or worse, going to the ball alone, while all her friends had partners and enjoyed themselves, made her reconsider her decision.  
  
And now, she didn't know if the decision she had made was the right one or not.   
  
Still tormented by the fact that Draco was taking Cho to the Yule Ball, Ginny fell into a troubled sleep.   
  
_~END OF CHAPTER 1~_  
  
A/N- Well, the first chapter's done and I had a **fantastic** time writing it! Even the thought that I had my Business studies exam the next day didn't worry me! I hope you enjoy it too!   
I just had a teeny weeny problem with Draco's dialogues. I don't have much experience with making sarcastic comments. Hope they weren't too bad! 


	2. chapter 02

~_CHAPTER 02_~

**__**

By Nitya

  
  
  
Draco awoke to the sound of Crabbe and Goyle's snores. He stuffed a couple of handkerchiefs into their mouths and tried to get back to sleep.   
  
"It's no use. Those idiots have got me up for good." Grumbling abuses he stepped inside the bathroom.   
  
He was out in a second.   
  
He had just remembered. He was supposed to have met Pansy at the Astronomy Tower last night.   
  
"Damn." he muttered.  
  
His life was becoming hell. He wished that he had never become involved with girls.   
  
First of all, there was Cho Chang. She was becoming an infernal bore. He regretted ever asking her out. He had actually asked her out only to spite Harry. It was common knowledge that Harry had been mooning over Cho ever since his 3rd year.   
  
If Cho accepted him, it would mean one up over Harry. And it certainly had been worth it, seeing Harry's face turn green when he had delivered the news. Draco smirked. That memory would be engraved in his brain forever.   
  
But now he was becoming increasingly tired of Cho. She was just so dull-witted and boring. She neither responded to his wise-cracks nor did she contribute anything to the conversation.  
  
She constantly had a melancholy look on her face and seemed to be perpetually thinking about Cedric.  
  
It affected his ego a little bit, but more than that he was tired of the one-sided relationship.  
  
And then there was Pansy.  
  
he had asked Cho to the Ball before breaking up with Pansy and so he had arranged a meeting with her at the Astronomy Tower.  
  
He had even kept a box of French Chocolates ready, to appease Pansy in case she should turn aggressive, but he had forgotten.  
  
What **had** he been doing last night?  
  
'Insulting Ginny near the lake.' His brain replied.  
  
"Oh, yeah, insulting Gin-" he gave a start. "From when have I started referring to that Weasley kid as Ginny?"   
  
'Maybe from yesterday when you thought she looked ravishing with the moonlight falling on her red-gold hair and-'  
  
"Shut up!" Draco screamed.  
  
Everyone woke up.  
  


~_END OF CHAPTER 02_~ 


	3. Chapter 03

~CHAPTER 03~

  
  
Harry tried to concentrate on 'Quidditch Through The Ages', but failed. His thoughts kept wandering to the Valentine's Day Ball. What on earth had possessed him to ask Ginny, of all people to the ball?  
  
_The fact that Cho was going with Draco._  
  
He hadn't believed it when Colin had told him the news, anxiously waiting for his reaction. But he ** had** to accept it, when he saw with his own eyes, Draco escorting Cho to the Ravenclaw table, during dinner.  
  
What did Draco have that he didn't? At least Cho going out with Cedric, he could understand. He belonged to the same year, was the captain of the Quidditch team, and was, Harry thought grudgingly, reasonably good-looking. Even if Cho had refused him saying that she didn't want to go to balls so soon after Cedric's death, he wouldn't have minded. Instead, she had told him that she was going out with someone else, and had conveniently forgotten to mention who that 'someone' was. And Harry was too broken-hearted to ask. But when he came to know that it was Draco...!   
  
His fists clenched involuntarily. "Damn that snobbish Slytherin git!" muttered. He paced furiously around the Common Room. "Damn that-"   
  
"Harry! What are you doing?"  
  
It was Ginny.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ginny had been unable to sleep. She had tossed around the bed, fighting with her bed-sheet and punching her pillow, thinking it to be Draco. She had been haunted by weird dreams all featuring Draco. At last she could lie down no longer and so she decided to read a book to take her mind off the Ball and off Draco. So as to not wake her dorm-mates, she had grabbed a book and tiptoed out to the common room, where the sight of Harry pacing about and grumbling something met her.   
  
Harry looked up. His eyes were dark and looked more black than green. Ginny shivered slightly at the look in his eyes. She sure hoped that the anger in his eyes was not directed upon her.   
  
"What are you doing up so early?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse.  
  
"It's not that early," said Ginny looking at her watch. "It's 6 'o' clock." She looked at his careworn face. She figured that he too had not gotten much sleep. "How long have you been awake?"   
  
"Since 5 'o' clock. I couldn't sleep." He walked towards the window.   
  
Ginny didn't know what to say. She knew that something was bothering Harry, but didn't know how to comfort him. It was not that she wasn't used to comforting people. Even though she was the youngest in her family, she was the one to cheer up her brothers when they were down.   
  
'You would make a great mother, Gin." They used to say laughingly. She always used to listen to their troubles and console them. But the person who was in trouble now was not any of her brothers. It was Harry. She remembered Ron saying that Harry didn't like people making a fuss over him when he was in distress.   
  
She hesitated, watching him. He was standing, facing with the window, with his back towards her. She noticed that though he was standing straight, his shoulders sagged.   
  
"Harry." She said softly.   
  
He didn't turn around. Perhaps he hadn't heard her. She walked towards him slowly until she was standing next to him, their shoulders touching.   
  
"Harry, whatever it is that's bothering you, please tell me."   
  
This time, he turned towards her. She saw now that his eyes weren't black. They were a lovely shade of olive green, untouched by any other colour. She couldn't look away from those eyes. She saw herself reflected in them, scared, eager, expectant. He leaned forward and kissed her.   
  
At that moment Ginny knew. She hadn't gotten over Harry and she never would. He drew back. "Ginny, I-"  
  
"Shh." She said, drawing him close and kissing him again. She didn't care that students would be waking up shortly and would see them. She didn't care that her hair was disheveled. She didn't even think about what the consequences would be if Ron caught her like this. Somehow, nothing mattered except that Harry loved her, not Cho and she loved him, not Draco.  
  
Above, the students smiled indulgently and went back into their dormitories quietly so as to not disturb the passionate couple.   
  
Ron, to Hermione's surprise smiled mischievously and said, "Shall we follow their example?" Hermione laughed and followed him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
**EPILOGUE-  
  
** Draco hurried out of the Slytherin common room. If he didn't see Pnasy before-   
  
"Oh, hi Cho! What brings you here so early? Couldn't stay away from me, eh?" He smirked.   
  
Cho gave him a disdainful look. "I've come to tell you that I won't be coming to the Ball with you, **you ferret faced two-timer!**   
  
"Huh?" Draco was startled. "What happened?"  
  
"You want to know what happened? Only that I learned just now from Pansy that you were dating **both** of us, you..you Casanova!" Cho spat, glaring at him.  
  
"But I wasn't dating Pansy! I used to date her, yes, but when I asked you out, I wanted to break up with her- " He could have spared his breath. Cho had already walked away, and he was left, standing amongst a crowd of interested 1st years.  
  
"Hey, Malfoy's been ditched!' yelled somebody. There were shouts of laughter, as students began screaming 'Malfoy's been left in the lurch!' 'Malfoy's been ditched!'  
  
"OH, SHUT UP!" Yelled Draco and walked away.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ginny looked up at Harry and smiled. He looked magnificent in emerald green dress robes that brought out the green in his eyes. "You look dazzling!" she whispered.   
  
"And you look gorgeous, my adorable kitten."  
  
"UGH! Just one day, and they've already kept pet-names for each other!" groaned Ron, overhearing their conversation. "Adorable kitten, indeed!"  
  
Hermione smiled roguishly. "Don't tease them. Now, how about we do some dancing, my spider-man?"  
  
Harry and Ginny stared at each other in shock. "Spider-man?"   
  
All four of them burst into giggles.  
  
The rest of the evening was spent in laughter, teasing, dancing and of course...you-know-what.  
  


THE END  
  


* * *

A/N- *grins sheepishly* I **know** I said that this was going to be D/G, but...I just couldn't help it. That scene between Harry and Ginny just wrote itself. I honestly didn't want it to end that way, but it was not my fault if my brain refused to co-operate!! But I think my other story 'Ventriloquist Draco' **is** going to be D/G, so stay around.   
Once again, I apologise for the misleading summary. ;-) 


End file.
